Charing Village

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English Walnut Bracket/Mantel Clock James Powell London
30 Jun 2010 at 8:12am
US $389.00
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VINTAGE CABINET PLATE CRIES OF LONDON YELLOW PRIMROSES
30 Jun 2010 at 5:02am
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Sir Walter Besant, in The Fascination of London, published in 1903, continues his survey of the metropolis with a mention of Charing Village:

Opposite Scotland Yard is the Admiralty, built round a courtyard, and hidden by a stone screen surmounted by sea-horses.

The screen was the work of the brothers Adam, and was put up to hide a building which even the taste of George III's reign declared to be insufferable.

This had been built for the Admiralty in 1726, and replaced old Wallingford House, so called from its first owner, Viscount Wallingford, who built it in the reign of James I.

George Villiers, the well-known Duke of Buckingham, bought the house, and used it until his death.

Archbishop Usher saw the execution of Charles I from the roof, and swooned with horror at the sight.

The house was occupied by Cromwell's son-in-law, General Fleetwood, and in 1680 became Government property. In one of the large rooms the body of Nelson lay in state before his national funeral.

St. Catherine's Hermitage, Charing Cross, stood somewhere near Charing Cross.

It is believed to have been about the position of the post-office. It belonged to the See of Llandaff, and was occasionally used as a lodging by such Bishops of that See as came to attend the Court and had no town-house.

St. Mary Rounceval, on the site of Northumberland House, was founded by William Marischal, Earl of Pembroke, in Henry III's reign.

The Earl gave several tenements to the Prior of Rounceval, in Navarre, who established here the chief house of the priory in England.

The hospital was finally suppressed by Edward VI.

The little village of Charing then stood between London and Westminster.

It formed part of the great demesne belonging to the Abbey of Westminster, and was inhabited chiefly by Thames fishermen, who had a settlement on the bank, and by the farmers of the Westminster estates.

The derivation of the name from La Chere Reine is purely fanciful.

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